When I Fall in Love: SATB Choral Octavo

Jay Althouse's arrangement captures the warmth and accessibility of this beloved standard while giving it genuine rhythmic swing. The 12-page octavo is sized just right for a concert program moment that won't tax your singers' preparation time but will absolutely land with an audience. Instrumental parts are available, which means you can shape the sound from full big band energy down to a capella intimacy depending on what your program calls for.

This is a song about certainty and quiet joy, and the arrangement honors that with a buoyant, positive energy that never feels forced. The harmonies sit comfortably in the voice parts while maintaining enough jazz sophistication to feel grown-up, making it rewarding for singers and audiences alike.

Choirs seeking approachable, stylistically authentic pop and jazz repertoire for concert or show choir settings. The straightforward SATB voicing works for intermediate to advanced ensembles; Jay's arrangement handles the swing idiom with clarity, so even singers new to jazz phrasing can grasp it quickly.

• Lean into the swing feel without rushing the eighth-note subdivisions; the groove sits in the pocket when rhythms stay relaxed rather than tight.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to nail the harmonic context and style before working sections independently; students will internalize the jazz voicing faster with that reference.
• Shape the melody line with natural phrasing that echoes a vocalist's approach, resisting the urge to make it march like a traditional hymn or chorale.
• If adding instrumental parts, begin rehearsals with rhythm section plus soloists, then layer in the full choir; this order clarifies the groove for everyone.

Program this as a set piece with other standards, or use it to close a first half with a mood shift away from classical or show material. The optional instrumental parts make it flexible for festivals and concert settings where you can dial up or down the accompaniment depending on what you've got available.

• Swing rhythm and syncopation (feel and eighth-note placement)
• Jazz phrasing and vocal style (connecting to pop and jazz idiom)
• SATB voice leading in contemporary harmonic context
• Coordinate with rhythm section and instrumental accompaniment